From what I can tell, there is currently no offical documentation set for Umbraco - a real Install Guide, Admin Guide, or Users Guide.
I'm wondering if the Umbraco developers are considering creating official documentation? I've found Umbraco to be a great product, but I suspect its adoption is severely hurt by lack of documentation.
When I was considering which CMS to use, the one major negative thing people said about Umbraco is that it's poorly documented. So far I would agree. There is a lot of info on this site, but it is not really organized or complete.
The Wiki page is a great start, but it needs more organization and more content.
Perhaps employing a good technical writer could help get this moving on the right track. I used to be a technical writer myself before I became a developer, so I know somewhat of what I'm talking about here.
I read it and unfortunately you're right. The community manage to produce a ton of great documentation the past 18 months. Now the big challenge is to get it organized.
Based on my experience as a technical writer, I suggest the following:
1. Identify the different types of people who will be using Umbraco. Perhaps: installers, developers, administrators, editors. These are your different audiences. They each need their own manual, directed at their unique needs.
2. Within each manual, identify the list of tasks the people need to perform. Group the tasks into chapters. Since you already have the Wiki, you could just set up the chapter sections, with "stubs" for people to fill in.
(Sorry for misspelling your name earlier, by the way.)
Suggestion: Official Documentation Set
From what I can tell, there is currently no offical documentation set for Umbraco - a real Install Guide, Admin Guide, or Users Guide.
I'm wondering if the Umbraco developers are considering creating official documentation? I've found Umbraco to be a great product, but I suspect its adoption is severely hurt by lack of documentation.
When I was considering which CMS to use, the one major negative thing people said about Umbraco is that it's poorly documented. So far I would agree. There is a lot of info on this site, but it is not really organized or complete.
The Wiki page is a great start, but it needs more organization and more content.
Perhaps employing a good technical writer could help get this moving on the right track. I used to be a technical writer myself before I became a developer, so I know somewhat of what I'm talking about here.
> Perhaps employing a good technical writer could help get this moving on the right track
I'd do that tomorrow if anyone would sponsor the pay check.
Neils,
Thanks for reading my post. I'm sure I haven't told you anything new here. I think Umbraco is great and I wish you continued success.
I read it and unfortunately you're right. The community manage to produce a ton of great documentation the past 18 months. Now the big challenge is to get it organized.
Where and how do we begin?
Uhm, isn't there an official Umbraco book being written/assembled at the moment (Paul Sterling?)?
Niels,
Based on my experience as a technical writer, I suggest the following:
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